Cotton-picker.



i'i STATES THOMAS M, OLSON, OF 'IUDSON` VJISCONSIN.

COTTGN-PICKER.

Lesser?.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application filed December 2G, i917. Serial No. 208,773.

To f// /r/m/.H ff ma?! 1m/:em: l

Bc it known that I, Ti-ronms M. Oisox, a citizen oi :lic United States and resident of Hudson. in the county o Ln'aint Croix and Stute of Wisconsin, have invented certain i nen' and useful In'iprovenieuts in Cottonli kers; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention refers to nen1 and useful iniprovements in harvesting machines. particu- ,lfirly to machines Jfor picking cotton.

Althougi. there are such machines at present in use, the majority oi them are inefective in operation, and therefore it is the objec. of this invention to produce a simply constructed machine which will be much more effective and thorough in operation i than those machines of like nature.

Y. In carrying out this general object oi the invention certain parts found in Ordinar)Y .machines have been rearranged to make. the apparatus more effective, J'orinstance the lusual elongated harvesting members, or pickung rolls are arranged horizontally, they previously having been disposed vertically.

L alt has been foundthat this produces a much more effective machine.

The present invention also aims to provide neans for adjusting the various parts of the `machine, that is to say, the harvesting 1 .embers are both movable toward and away from tach other and vertically'n'iovable with refkpect to the ground.

A still further minor object is to provide vn improved arrangement cr removing the y-ielred cotton from the harvesting members reparatory to conveying the saine to suitble receptacles carried by tl e machine.

With these and other olljects and adintages in view the inventiopavresides i n cer! .in novel features or" construction. combi on and arrangement of parts which ireinater more particularly described and iimed and shown in the drawings, wherein g igure l represents a plan view oi a niaine constructed in accordance with the inntion.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the rts shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a detail transverse sectional view rough one ofthe harvesting members.

iis is usual in this type of machine the ne comprises a supporting frame l in'iountupon suitable ground engagiz1 wheels 2.

In this preferred construction the fraine'i. is rectangular in plan vien' as will appear from F ig. l, and the. front and rear barsv 2% and 4 respectivel \Y are provided with eentrally, disposed upwardly extending arches 5 between the sides of which the cotton plants are positioned. The picking fingers of the harvesting members are obviously adapted to project into the center line of these arches to removethe bolls of cotton roin the plants. A

Carried by the main supporting fra-me 1 is a pair of supplemental frames 6, one of which is disposed on each side of the arches 5. and cach is constructed' in substantially the. saine manner :1s-the otln r. In plan View frames 6 are rectangular and comprise end brackets 7 for journally mounting harvesting members and cleaning rolls 8 and 9 respectively iframes 6 rest upon thebars 3 and 4 of the frame 1 and are adapted to slide longitudinally thereof, they beingmoved by the racks and pinions lO'and 11 respectively as shown clearly in Fig. 2. From Fig. 2 it will be seen that cae-h oi ...he supplemental frames carries a rack 10 and that a pair of pinions 11 are journally mounted on the main supporting traine l, one of these pinions being disposed on each side of the arches 5.. Any suitable ine-ans may be used for rotating the piniens7 for instance in the present embodiment a Wrench may be disposed on the squared ends of the stub shafts on Which they are carried by the frame 1.

Each of the harvesting members 8 comprises a stationary shaft 12 carried by the brackets 7, an elongated frame formed of a number of slats 13 and a plurality of rotatable picking' members ,1 4 and 15 carried by the. fram Said frame is mounted to revolve ut the 'ationary shaft 1Q in manner c hereinafter more particularly described. Each picking member is mounted to revolve on an axis radially disposed to the axis of rotation of the traine. The latter movement is. carried out bymeans of semi-circular racks carried by rings 16', secured to the stationary shaft 12 and disposed adjacent each set of picking members., said racks and rings being engaged by pinions 17 on the shafts of the picking members which extend through the slats 13. Tiro forms of picking members are preferably used, those disposed throughout the l i l c l i i l l majority ofthe length o1'- tlie harvesting members being in the :torni of substantially fiat circular disks from the outer face of each of which an annular sei'ies of picking;r

5 fingers 1S project. These picking fingers initially act upon the cotton plants, and it will be noted `from Fig. 1 that the ends of the fingers i5 on the opposite harvesting' ineinbers are spaced a considerable distance apart.

rlliese fingers reinm'e the cotton from the upper portions of the plants. -The other forms of picking members are fewer in number and are positioned at the rear ends of the harvesting members, these members 15 being-in the. form of arms from which picking' lingers 19 radially project. The arms 15 being longer than the disk-like pieking members 14t extend farther toward each other as shown in Fig. l and therefore, en-

gage a greater portion of the cotton plants.

semi-circular racks 16 as clearlyr shown in' The picking members 14 are adapted to be rotated transversely or at right angles to the direction of rotation of the frames composinzef the harvesting "members 8 by the Fig. 3'. These racks 1G are so arranged that the break between their ends is adjacent the cleaning rolls 9. The direct result of this disposition of the racks is that the picking 'nien'ibers 14 will only be revolved While in the path of movement oi the cotton plants."

'ln other words as the picking members 14 .successively move into engagement with the 4 fingers of the cleaningr rolls 9 their rotat-ioii ceases so that the picking fingers and the cleaning fingers will not De inpired. The

"picking members 15, on the other hand, notv being;r in engagement with the fingers of the cleaning rolls 9 are adapted to continuously 40`irevolve.'throughout the path of rotative movement of the harvestingv members S. Fig. 1A clearly shows the relation of the last mentioned picking members With respect to the cleaning rolls 9.

l5 The hai-resting members 8 are adapted to supplemental frames the movement of the.'

latter jill also causeY said coiiveyers to shift their' positions. The. directionof movement of' the ctmveyeis is obviously atright an'- gles to the axis of rotation ot' the picking members 8 and from front to rearl of the machine so that the cotton is deposited in suitable receptacles 25 at the rear of the frame 1.

rl`he cleaning members tor the picking rlisks 14 comprise the cylindrical rolls 9 J'ouriially mounted in the brackets i and disposed parallel to the shafts 1Q. These rolls 9 are geared or otherwise connected with the frames of the harvesting members S so as to rotate therewith. The cleaning fingers 26 of the rolls i) project between the picking fingers 1S of the disks' 14, but owingy to the fact that the latter do not revolve when in the cleaning;` position, all likelihood' of the' fingers becoming; engaged and bent out of position is obriated as hereiiibefore mentioned. A

The cleaning' members for the fingers 1S) of the other picking members 15 consist of brushes. 27, one of which is disposed over each coiireyer :24. As the picking members 15 revolve, the fingers 19 thereof are intermittently .brought into eiigagen'ient with,

said brushes and thereby cleaned.

It is also advisable to provide means for varying the distance between the harvesting,r members and the ground as well as the distance between said members, therefore the Aframe 1 and -parts mounted thereon is mov;

-able vertically with respect tothe Wheels 2. This adjustment is carried out by rotating the screws 28. Any specific form of sliding arrangement between the frame 1 and the wheels 2 may be employed in this connectionn From the foregoing description it will beV seen that, the invention substantially comprises two separate harvesting units, each 0f which is operable independently of the other, but which operate, mosteficiently in conjunction. In other Words, the clutches 23 permit the rotation and operation' of the harvesting,r and cleaning members oneither side of the arches 5 Without similar movement of the parts on the other side. Simi larly, the supplemental frame on one side of the arches may be moved Without movement of that ou the other side. However, thetwo units ordinarily operate together so that the pickingr fingers of each harvesting member will operate simultancouslj,v upon the opposite sides of the rows of 'cotton plants.

1.. In a machine of the class described, a'

support, a shaft'carried thereby, a frame reroluble about the. shaft, picker members carried by the frame. and rotatable therewith, each of said members comprising a substantially flat disk. an annular series of fingers projecting from one face of the disk7 means for rotating the disk in planesparallel tothe axis of rotationof the frame, land,

means for cleaningr said fingers.

2. In a maeliinepof the class described, a supporting frame adapted te be moved m ids one direction with respect to the ground, a pickingdrame carriedA by the supporting frame, a plurality of picker members on the picking frame, each comprising a flat disk, an annular series of fingers projecting from one face ot each disk, means for rotatingthe disks in planes parallel to the plane of the direction of movement of the supportingframe, and means for cleaning the fingers.

3. ln a machine of the class described, a supporting frame, a revoluble harvesting member journally earried by said frame, a supplemental frame slidable on the support ing frame, a revoluble harvesting member carried by the supplemental frame, means for moving said supplemental frame on the supporting frame to adjust the last mentioned harvesting member with respect to the other harvestingl member, and means for rotating said harvesting members.

ll. In a machine-of the class described41 a supporting frame, a pair of supplemental frames slidable toward and away from each other on the supporting frame, a revoluble harvesting member carried by each of said supplemental iframes, means for moving said supplemental frames to and from each other to adjust the distance between said harvesting members, and means for rotating said harvesting members.

5. in a machine of the class described, a supporting frame, a pair of supplemental iframes slidable toward and away from each other 'on 1the supporting frame, a harvesting member carried by each of said supplemental frames, means for moving said supplemental frames to adjust the distance between said harvesting members, 1and means for cleaning said harvesting members.

il. ln a machine of the class described, a supportingl frame, a pair of supplemental frames slidable toward and away from each other on the supporting frame, a harvesting member carried by each of said supplemental frames, a racl; carried by each supplemental frame, a pair of pinions on the supporting frame, each one or said pinions being meshed with its respective rack, means for rotating the pinions .to vary the distance between said harvesting members, and means for cleaning said harvesting members.

In testimony that claim the foregoing have hereunto set my hand at Hudson, in the county of Saint Croix, and State of Wiseonsin.

THOMAS M. OLSON. 

